In the News
Ontario military shipping crate manufacturer keen on growth following tribal investment
ONTARIO >> A local manufacturer of fiberglass shipping crates for military weapons is hoping to double in size and output over the next decade. The owners also want to leverage its status as a minority-owned business.PRC Composites, which has been in Ontario since 2008 and began in Santa Fe Springs in 1973, has grown to about 120 employees, many of them first- and second-generation Mexican-Americans."Our whole intention with this is to grow," said Gene Gregory, president of PRC … Continue Reading
August 10, 2016
Pomona awarded DOJ grant to help combat human trafficking and prostitution
POMONA >> The U.S. Department of Justice awarded Pomona a grant to combat human trafficking and prostitution, the office of Rep. Norma J. Torres, D-Pomona, announced Wednesday.The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant is in the amount of $69,550, a news release states. Pomona will use the money to bolster the city's human trafficking and prostitution enforcements.In July, Pomona police released six months of human trafficking data that showed they had arrested 306 people for … Continue Reading
August 10, 2016
Congresswoman Norma Torres Gets $69,550 To Help Pomona Police Anti-Prostitution Human Trafficking Campaign
Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded the City of Pomona with a $69,550 grant to combat human trafficking and prostitution. During the Fiscal Year 2016 congressional appropriations process Rep. Torres signed onto a letter specifically requesting strong funding for the JAG program in the FY16 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill which funds programs in the Department of Justice."Human trafficking and prostitution prey on … Continue Reading
July 23, 2016
Immigrants Desperate To Get Out Of US Detention Can Get Trapped By Debt
Desperate to get out of US custody and reunite with his wife, Belkin Antonio Hernandez-Vargas turned to one of the biggest names in the business of helping immigrant detainees secure bail bonds.Acting as a middleman, the company Libre by Nexus helped the El Salvadorian secure an $8,000 bond after he was able to come up with 20%, or $1,600, and agreed to pay $420 a month to wear a GPS tracker on his ankle - the second in as many years."Thanks to God, they got me out," Hernandez-Vargas said. "I … Continue Reading
July 21, 2016
What happens to thousands of firearms after Rancho Cucamonga steel mill melts them
By the numbers:7,044: total weapons melted23: years melting guns at Gerdau Steel Mill in Rancho Cucamonga3,000: degrees it takes to melt a weapon150: pounds of scrap metal mixed in with the weapons5: tons of rebar createdRANCHO CUCAMONGA >> Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell stood nearby while more than 7,000 confiscated firearms became steel rebar Thursday morning."For the second year in a row, I have the privilege of overseeing our annual gun destruction event," McDonnell said. … Continue Reading
July 20, 2016
EDITORIAL: ONT moves ahead on several fronts
The move toward local control of L.A./Ontario International Airport is gaining altitude.In recent days, President Obama signed a bill that was necessary for the airport's transfer from Los Angeles to a local authority; marketing plans for the airport began taking shape, and local officials began discussing a shuttle service that would move passengers from Metrolink to the airport and vice versa.All those developments are important, but the absolutely critical one was Obama's signature on a … Continue Reading
July 13, 2016
ONTARIO: Airport handover nearly done
Legislation that would help facilitate the transfer of LA/Ontario International Airport to local control has now passed both the House and the Senate.The bill, which was approved by the Senate Wednesday afternoon on a 89-4 vote, was part of a broader bill extending the Federal Aviation Administration. It is now expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama."This is a landmark day in Southern California aviation," Alan Wapner, Ontario International Airport Authority president, said … Continue Reading
July 13, 2016
Norma Torres encabeza a grupo que pide TPS
En una carta dirigida al presidente Barack Obama, 77 miembros del Congreso, liderados por la senadora de origen guatemalteco, Norma Torres, pidieron al presidente Barack Obama conceder un Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS por sus siglas en inglés), a los migrantes provenientes de Guatemala, Honduras y El Salvador, que huyen de los altos niveles de violencia que se registran en sus países. Según un comunicado de prensa emitido por la oficina de Torres, entre 2005 y 2015 los índices de … Continue Reading
July 13, 2016
Ontario airport bill awaits President Obama’s approval
Legislation that would help facilitate the transfer of L.A./Ontario International Airport to local control has now passed both the House and the Senate.The bill, which was approved by the Senate on a 89-4 vote Wednesday afternoon, was part of a broader bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration. It is now awaiting President Barack Obama's signature."This is a landmark day in Southern California aviation," Alan Wapner, Ontario International Airport Authority president and … Continue Reading
July 08, 2016
DALLAS: Governor, Inland congressional delegation reacts
Gov. Jerry Brown and members of the Inland congressional delegation reacted with shock, sadness and calls for unity after news of a sniper attack at a Black Lives Matter rally that left five Dallas police officers dead Thursday night, July 7.In a statement issued by his office, Brown said: "On behalf of all Californians, Anne and I extend our deepest condolences to the communities across our country impacted by violence over the past several days, including the friends and family members of … Continue Reading
July 07, 2016
IE Congresswoman Norma Torres On The Future Of Gun Control
Inland Empire Member of Congress Norma Torres - a Democrat representing the IE's 35th District - was among the representatives who participated in a member "sit-in" in the House chambers a few weeks ago. The sit-in participants were demanding that the majority Republicans in the House allow a vote on stalled gun safety legislation. Congresswoman Torres -- whose district includes parts of Chino, Pomona, Ontario, and Fontana -- spoke with NPR's David Greene on "Morning … Continue Reading
June 23, 2016
For These House Members Who Staged the Sit-In, Gun Violence is Deeply Personal
The 911 dispatcher picked up the phone and heard children screaming. Then she heard five gunshots. Knowing she would eventually have to testify about the call, she focused on counting the blasts. It was only later that she realized that she had also heard the last words of the 11-year-old girl who’d been killed by them: “Uncle, please don’t kill me,” the girl screamed. “It’s not my fault.” The gunman was the ex-boyfriend of the child’s mother, who was still furious about their … Continue Reading
June 23, 2016
'No bill, no break': House Democrats continue sit-in protest into early morning
Fed up with Republican inaction on gun control, House Democrats, including nearly three dozen from California, shut down business as usual Wednesday with an old-fashioned, if highly unusual, sit-in that forced live television coverage of the chamber off the air and sent GOP leaders scrambling for cover.The scene, including chants of "No bill, no break!" was like nothing that has occurred in Congress in recent years, more reminiscent of the civil rights battles of the 1960s than today's often … Continue Reading
June 22, 2016
Reps Torres & Eshoo Seek Update from U.S. GAO on Next Gen. 9-1-1 Implementation and Solutions to Patchwork 9-1-1 System
On Tuesday, June 22, Reps. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) and Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) requested an update from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the implementation of next generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) systems across the country and the impact diverting local and state 9-1-1 fees has had on emergency services. NG9-1-1 systems use IP-based technology to receive data from a wider range of devices and mediums and provide more accurate locating capabilities than the older 9-1-1 … Continue Reading
June 21, 2016
Congress approves key step in Ontario airport transfer process
Following years of lobbying, Congress has taken a key step in putting L.A./Ontario International Airportinto local hands.On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representativesunanimously approved Rep. Ken Calvert's bill that would facilitate the transfer of ownership to a local authority.In January, the majority leader introduced Bill 4369, which would take future passenger fees at ONT to help pay off the cost for the two terminals, a 2015 condition of returning the airport to local … Continue Reading
June 16, 2016
IEUA will receive $7.2 million grant to help fund significant water project
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor announced recently that the Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) will be receiving a $7.2 million grant from the Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse program, which is the U.S. Department of the Interior's sustainable water initiative.Seven California projects received a total of $30 million to provide clean water to communities across California.IEUA will use the grant to help fund the Chino … Continue Reading
June 14, 2016
Comisión depuradora Policía hondureña se reúne con altos funcionarios de EEUU
La Comisión Especial para el Proceso de Depuración y Transformación de la Policía Nacional de Honduras se reunió hoy en Washington con altos funcionarios estadounidenses para conversar sobre los avances del proceso, informó una fuente oficial.Los miembros de la Comisión Especial fueron recibidos por el secretario adjunto para asuntos internacionales del Departamento de Seguridad Interna de EE.UU., Alan Bersin, según una declaración pública divulgada en Tegucigalpa por la ONG Asociación para … Continue Reading
May 28, 2016
Missing medals arrive for vet
For years, John Latino thought he had received Navy commendations for his service on the USS Independence aircraft carrier during the Jordanian crisis in 1970 and 1971, when the ships' helicopters were used to evacuate American citizens. The Chino resident said he only discovered after he applied for a home loan recently that his service commendations weren't included in his military records. He called his representative in Congress, Norma Torres, for help in March. Rep. Torres' office … Continue Reading
May 26, 2016
Congressional briefing on disappeared Mexican students peers into Mexican government investigation
Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) today joined with Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35) and Congressmen Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Jim McGovern (MA-32), Joe Pitts (PA-16), and Albio Sires (NJ-08), in welcoming the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) to Capitol Hill to provide a Congressional briefing on the unexplained disappearance in September 2014 of 43 Mexican student teachers from Ayotzinapa, Mexico. Known as the “Group of Experts,” the GIEI assisted the Government of … Continue Reading
May 24, 2016
House cracks down on port cyber-security
An annual intelligence authorization act passed Tuesday by the House of Representatives would crack down on cyber-security at U.S. seaports, the latest step to alleviate growing concerns over terror attacks on the maritime industry. Lawmakers voted 371-35 for the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2017, allowing funding for 16 different intelligence agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland … Continue Reading